Apparatus for testing and recording the strength of materials



Mar. 20, 1923. 1,448,782. P. W- BIDWELL.

APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND RECORDING THE STRENGTH OF MATERIALS.

FILED JULY 20, I921.

INV NTOB "/3 Btigf g fizzdi ATTORNEY5 Patented Mar. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQ CE.

PAUL W. BIDWELL, OF EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO Bi F.PERKINS & SON, INC., OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.-

APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND RECORDING THE STRENGTH OF MATERIALS.

" Application filed July 20, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL lV. Bunvmm. citizen of the United States,residing at Easthampton. in the county of Hampshire and State of.llassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in .\pparatusfor Testing and Recording the Strength of Materials. of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for, and methods oftesting and recording the strength of fibrous materials. such as paperor the like.

The invention is adapted for general application where it is desired totest and record the strength of fibrous sheets. but one advantageous usefor which l have found the invention mrticularly applicable is in thetesting of paper during the manufacture thereof.

A very important requirement in paper manufacturing is that. the paperof a particular run or lot shall possess a substantially uniformstrength throughout. and to aid in adjusting the paper machine toproduce this uniformity, it is a common practice to check the strengthof the paper web at intervals during the run, by consecutively testingthe strength of specimens cut therefrom. The present exactingspecifications under which paper is made necessitates the desirabilityof the compulsory testing of the paper Web at regular or definiteintervals during the run.

Apparatus heretofore used for testing th specimens merely indicate theresults of the tests simultaneously with the testing operation. and donot record the results. or the time at which the tests were made and asthe testing remains to be performed at the Will of an operator, it isobvious that since there is no record of performance made, that anynumber of the tests may be omitted. thereby defeating the importantpurpose of the tests namely to induce the production of uniform paperover agiven time.

The present invention is directed to the provision of apparatus andmethods of testing that encourage or rather compel the testing at thedesired times or otherwise disclose the failure to test. and isaccomplished by automatically and chronologically recording the resultsof the tests simultaneously with the testing operation. and accordingly;

One object of the invention is the pro- Serial No. 486,043.

vision of means whereby the pressures rcquired to rupture the specimensare chronologically recorded upon a clock actuated chart by means ofwhich chart, the strength of various specimens tested and the time thetests were taken are readily determinable. and altogether serve as arecord of a particular run of paper.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means tofacilitate the marking of the chart adjacent the various test resultsrecorded thereon. whereby a. specimen similarly marked may be identifiedwith the pressure indicated on the chart.

While the invention is described in its preferred form in connectionwith the testing of fibrous materials such as paper it is obvious thatby changes or modifications in the construction or arrangement of theapparatus it ma be equally well adated for other uses without departingfrom t e scope of the invention.

The invention will be understood from the following description andaccompanying drawings in which,-

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of one form of an apparatus adapted forthe prncticeof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View showing specimens ruptured by the testing thereof andmarked with identifying characters; and

Fig. 3 is a section at an enlarged scale through the aperture of thefront raising of the recording indicator.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus preferably comprises a testingmachine T in which the specimen is tested by the rupturing thereof and arecording pncssure deviceB connected thereto for chronologically andautomatically recording the aforesaid rupturing pressure.

While various testing machines may be employed in the practice of theinvention, I illustrate for descriptive purposes a ma chine generallyknown as, a Mi llen-tester that is disclosed in the patent to Mullen#358,056 of Feb. 22, 1887. This testing machine T consists in a specimensupporting platform 2 and a clamp 3, the latter of which is operable bythe lever 4 and stem 5 to confine a specimen 8 securely between theplatform 2 and clamp 3. A piston not shown) is arranged forreciprocating within the cylinder 6 of the tester and is actuated by ascrew 7 and hand iv'helB. A.

fluid is contained within the cylinder 6 and is acted upon by the pistonto cause an elastic diaphragm to he distended through an a erture in theplatform 2 and against the specimens s. A suitable aperture (not shown)is provided in the clamp 53 and in reglstm' with the aperture of theplatform to allow the diaphragm and specimen to pass therethrough whenacted upon hr the pressure Thus by securely clamping a specimen he tweenthe platform and clamp it ma luruptured, by the fluid pressure againstthe diaphragm.

The strength of the specimens heing tested is determined hy the lluidpressure rrquired to cause the rupture. To graphically andchronologi'ally reco d this pressure. the re cording pressure indicatingdevice It is provided and is connected hr a suitahle communicatingconduit or conductor 5) to the cylinder 6 of the tester T,

The recording device it prel'erahlv ronr prises a clock mechanism (notshownl that is adapted to rotate a rhart lfi one revohe tion in anydesired length at time. as for instance in twelve or twentwfour hours.The chart is pre't'erabl 'irrilmt'ereutially divided into divisionsrepresenting hours that are designated by characters such as l. 2. 3.etc, and concentric circles upon the chart. designated hr 0. 10, 2t),30. etc. represent various pressures. An indicating or marking pointer12 is pivoted within the instrument that is adapted to he actuated bythe pressure communicated to the device through the conduit 9, and ispreterahlv ar ranged to move transversely of the chart. from the innercircle designated. as l) out wardl v to various positions. dependingupon the actuating pressure.

As is usual in devices of this character the clock mechanism. chart,etc. are con tained within a suital'ile dust prool' closure comprising acasing 13 having hinged there to a front wall or door 14. To prevent theopening of the door or the unauthorized tampering with the chart In apadlock I? or other locking device is provided to retain the said doorin its closed locked position.

To identify the chart with the test spec-i men it is desired to marksuitahle identifying characters upon the chart and the specimen tested.To permit of this I provide an aperture 16 in the front wall or door 14of the closure, that is preferably located adjacent the periphery of thechart in line with the path of movement of the pointer or marker 12.which permits the insertion of a marking implement to mark the chart inthe proximity of the various pressure indications made by the pointer12.

The operation of mv improved apparatus will now be described withreference to its use in connection with the desired manu- 1. aeyrseliacture ol' paper, and for the purposes of illustration it is assumedthat it is required to test the paper at such definite times as on theeven hours. For this PHIPUSl a chart such as 10 is placed within therecording instrument to receive cllronological records to show theresults of the tests in the proper timed relation.

The operator. at the required tizuiis. ilrw at l l and J ocloch. cutsfrom the paper web in the paper machine a specimen tor testing. Thisspecious! is placed between the clamp and platform ol the tester T andis seeuretv clamped th rrin Irv means of the clamping ever l. Pres ureis applied to the specimen lrv means at the hand wheel, piston. iluid.etc. sutlieiellt to rupture it Within the area confined or the clamp andplatform. The pressure required to rupture the specimen and reprmeutil1gthe strength of the paper is communieated hy means of the conduit i? tothe recording instrument R. The instrument is artuated hy the rupturingpre sure to move across the lace ol' the chart from the ircle designatedas zero to other prwsure indications depending upon the a tuatingpressure. it will he seen that the rupturing pressure is recorded ormarked upon the chart on or near the lines thereoi that correspond tothe time at which the test was taken. Should any of the tests be omittedhy the operator the corresponding marks w uld not appear upon the chartat the particular hour or other time at which the test should have beentaken. After each test is talcen and for the purpose of comparing thetest specimens with the chart. identifying characters are marked uponthe specimens and upon the chart through the aperture '16 as B. C. Bymeans of the apparatus it is readily obvious that if the operator makeshe tests at the desired times that the results will la" chronologicallyrecorded upon the chart. and by marking the chart and specimensv withidentifying characters, a. complete record of perfornr anec is ohtained.From this record it is possible to determine whether specimens weretested at the desired times and at what pressure they ruptured. Thiswill furnish a complete check upon the operator. The apparatus causesthe operator to he on the alert in niauipulz'iting his paper-makingmachine for producing the desired uniformity in the strength of thepaper over a given run of the machine.

While l have shown and described such apparatus as T have found adaptedfor testing and recording the strength of paper in the manner describedit is obvious that other equivalent apparatus may he used foraceomplishing the purpose. The apparatus may he used for testing othermaterials in a similar manner.

T desire to claim the invention as broadly as the law permits as well asto claim specific embodiments of it.

I claim:

1. A paper testing apparatus having in combination, a pressure papertester, a time controlled locked device for recording pressure, means toconnect said device to the tester whereby it is operated by the pressurein the tester. the said recording device including an aperture in a wallthereof to permit the marking of a given record from the outside.

2. A paper testing apparatus having in combination, a pressure papertester, a time 4 controlled locked device for recording pressureincluding a clock actuated chart, carry ing radial time divisions, meansto connect said device to the tester whereby it is operated by thepressure in the tester, the said recording device including an aperturein a wall thereof to permit the marking of the chart from the outside toidentify a given record.

3. The combination in apparatus for testing and recording the strengthof paper, of a tester for applying a rupturing pressure to the paper. arecording device in commu nication with the tester including a clockactuated chart and a movable marker operable by the pressure tographically record the said pressure upon the chart simultaneously withthe application of the rupturing pressure by the tester to the specimen.

4. The combination in apparatus for testing and recording the strengthof paper, of a tester for applying a rupturing pressure to the paper, arecording device in communication therewith including a marker and aclock actuated chart carrying radial time indication and concentricpressure indications, the said marker being operable by the rupturingpressure to mark the said chart adjacent the time indication accordingto the pressure applied thereto at the time the said rupturing pressureis applied to the paper. whereby a record chart is produced that showsthe strength of the paper and time tested.

5. The combination in apparatus for testing and recording the strengthof paper, of a tester for applying a rupturing pressure to the paper, arecording device in communication therewith comprising a locked closurecontaining a clock actuated chart and a movable marker adapted to markthe chart according to the rupturing pressure communicated thereto atthe time the test is made, the front wall of said locked closureincluding an aperture through which the said chart may be marked fromthe outside so as to identity the marking made by the marker with thespecimen tested.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

PAUL W. BIDWELL.

